I am 64 and have six children. I am upset but not surprised by the decision to exclude women with babies from parliamentary debates (MPs should not bring babies into Commons, says cross-party review, 30 June). A woman and her baby are a single unit while she is breastfeeding – until the child is at least six months old. Explanations such as “longstanding practice” should not be used to prevent women from playing a full part in society. For far too long our society has been a male arena, where babies are treated as if they do not exist and the women caring for them have been excluded from most areas of life.
We should create a society where mothers are welcomed with their small babies, starting now. I wish Stella Creasy and her few fellow MPs who have small babies the best of luck in challenging this outrageous decision.
Rachel Phipps
Dean, Oxfordshire
